Why Ethiopia?

I get this question A LOT. Now, most of the time, this question is asked with sincere curiosity. People aren’t being judgmental, they are just truly interested. But every now and then, this question is asked in an accusing tone. As if it were the most ridiculous place on earth to adopt from. To these people, my answer is short and sweet. I simply reply “because that is where my daughter is”.

But for those who are genuinely interested, I share a lot more. I start off with the fact that because I am single, my options are amazingly limited. Each country has their own guidelines and restrictions regarding adoptive parent/s. China, for example, use to be open to singles. However, they recently tightened up their requirements, and now singles can not adopt. Some of their other restrictions include: must have assets over $80,000, must not be obese, and can not have been prescribed anti-depressant OR anti-anxiety medication in the last two years. Ethiopia on the other had is open to singles, they don’t have a weight requirement (thank goodness), and you don’t need $80,000 in assets. These are not the sole reasons I chose Ethiopia, as many other countries have similar requirements, but requirements like these are what led me to mark OTHER countries off my list.

Once I had a list of countries that I COULD adopt from, I started looking at other factors. The process…..how long does it take, what kind of paperwork is needed, can I request boy or girl, do I have to (get to) travel to pick up, how long is the in-country stay, how many trips do I have to make. All these factors played a part in my decision. Ethiopia, along with other countries, had a fairly short process. The paperwork (Dossier) is relatively easy (compared to other countries), they do allow you to choose the gender and age, they encourage you to travel to pick up your child. They only require one trip and that trip is about 1 week.

After narrowing down the countries with flexible requirements, cost was the next factor. I mean, let’s be real here…..I’m not rich, and I had to fund this adoption with what I had and with what I reasonably thought I could raise in the timeframe I wanted. So, if the choice is between Guatemala which costs up to $40,000 to adopt (with all other requirements being equal), and Ethiopia, which costs up to $20,000, then I choose Ethiopia.

As was stated in a previous post, I don’t care what “flavor” my child comes in. So, the race of the child does not matter to me. That doesn’t mean I’m going into a transracial adoption blindly. I know that being a white mother to a black child will have its challenges and issues. I’m aware of that. I hope I am preparing myself sufficiently to handle these challenges and issues.

As I learn more and more about Ethiopia, and I start to have some interaction in the Ethiopian community, I am 100% confident with my decision. And I know, that I’m choosing Ethiopia because “that is where my daughter is”.